Study Abroad

Study Abroad Reflections

Berlin, Germany

“Faculty Seminar in Berlin: Germany, Europe, and the Refugee Crisis:

The Challenge to Integrate.”

This 11-day seminar, located in Germany’s capital, was designed to expose U.S. faculty to the political, social, and academic debates on the controversial issue of refugee integration. Scheduled lectures addressed topics including:

  •  Political implications of integrating migrants, as seen from business and labor union perspectives
  • Cultural initiatives designed to make Berlin and Germany a home for new migrants and refugees
  • Consideration of the “Welcome” environment in Berlin on critical issues
  • Critical issues include health, women’s rights and their development, the education of adults and children
  • Expectations of and for refugees in Berlin
  • Religious dialogue
  • Democracy
  • Ongoing national research on migration to Germany and Europe
  • The stability of the European Union, as it faces the the refugee challenge as well as populist movements

Lecturers included individuals from the:

  • United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) in Germany
  • Berlin Welcome Center
  • Network “Companies integrate refugees” of the German Chamber of
    Commerce and Industry
  • Project on refugees, migration and integration at the political foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
  • Department “Migration, Intercultural Management and Diversity” at the
    political foundation Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung (HBS)
  • House of the Cultures of the World
  • Commissioner for Refugees and Migration of Germany’s Foreign Office
  • “Foundations of Migration and Integration Research” at Humboldt University
  • Political Department of the EU’s representation in Germany
  • Arab-German
    Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences

Iringa, Tanzania

Primary Health Care Institute in Iringa, Tanzania

The summer after my freshman year, I participated in a 10-credit public health, East African culture, and Swahili study abroad program in Tanzania. While there, I  learned about integrating social concern and science to care for the physical, social, and mental needs of the public. I was impacted by Neema Crafts, for example, which provides handicraft training and employment for people with disabilities.

While in Iringa, I also conducted research on the relationship between traditional and modern medicine by interviewing waganga (traditional healers), including the President of the Federation of Traditional Practitioners in Tanzania.

Himalayan Mountains, India

4-week service-learning backpacking trip in the Himalayan mountains of northern India